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Cell phones that only make and receive calls are so 2008! With a satellite signal and Internet access, today’s smart phones put the world—both yours and your dog’s—in your pocket.

1. Keep track of your pup’s day-to-day doings using the DogiDuty app; iPhone-toting dog walkers or sitters can manually file reports on her intake and output, then email them to you.

2. Pump up your walk. Map, record and share details of your canine-centered excursions at MapMyWalk.com or with your very own Google Earth Tour. As walks get longer, the Sit or Squat app, with its inventory of public bathrooms, comes in handy. Meanwhile, Eukanuba’s Off Leash iPhone app shows you the way to the nearest dog park.

3. Keep them healthy. Sign up for alerts about pet product hazards at HealthyStuff.org and pet food recalls at FoodSafety.gov. And be prepared for the unexpected—take along a Red Cross–trained assistant with the Pet First Aid iPhone app. You can also use your smart phone to store and access your dog’s medical records and keep track of appointments; the Pet Phone app puts that info at your fingertips.

4. Share a night out with your furry friend. With OpenTable.com, find restaurants that celebrate canine companions, then make your reservation.

5. Discover hidden treasures. Now that most of these phones are GPS-enabled, the once arcane (and obsession-forming) hobby of geocaching is within the reach of newbies. Get started at Geocaching.com.

6. Never miss a photo op. Capture the moment, then pep up the snaps with Shake and Bark (add your dog’s voice to her image) or Dog Thoughts (canine-themed captions).

7. Satisfy your curiosity. Use Dog-a-Log or iDogBook to help you figure out the answer to “What kind of dog is that?”

8. Focus on housetraining. Have a new puppy? With iPottyTrain, set alarms to remind you to take the pup out for a break, and log hits (and misses)—all of which keeps this important activity at the forefront of your attention.

9. Entertain yourself. During those quiet moments while waiting for the vet to arrive in the exam room, test your dog knowledge with Dog Trivia or play with the Obama’s Bo via The First Dog (at the time of release, a portion of the download fee was donated to the HSUS).